Interruptions
by PHii
Summary: Ulrich really has to tell Yumi something. Stupid XANA. Dumb bell. Time to knock William down a peg or two, eh? U&Y Oneshot


Yumi looked at Ulrich.

Ulrich looked at Yumi.

They stared and stared, and Ulrich opened his mouth.

And then closed it again.

Yumi raised an eyebrow, but kept her moth shut.

Ulrich closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He opened his mouth. Nothing came out.

Yumi waited expectantly.

He was really trying to say something, she could tell.

His eyebrows furrowed, and his mouth moved, really moved, but nothing came out.

Growing annoyed, she opened her mouth to say something as well, but was shocked to find that she couldn't say anything either.

They sat there, looking shocked and moving their mouths like goldfishes.

Yumi's eyes narrowed and she mouthed a single word.

He nodded, and they left to find Jeremie.

'XANA.'

-

Odd sat there, staring dumbly at the cafeteria lady, who seemed to be yelling something at him, but nothing was coming out of her mouth.

He stuck his pinky in his ear, and after scratching a bit, he leaned closer to her and held a hand to his ear, wondering what was wrong with him.

His phone started buzzing in his pocket, and he shrugged, dropping his tray on the counter and answering it.

He opened his mouth to say hello, but found that he couldn't say anything. He tried to cough and choke and spaz, but nothing was happening. Frustrated, he looked at the caller. Jeremie.

Hanging up, he wrote up a quick message and sent him a text.

'I can't hear, I can't speak. What's up?'

'XANA.'

Odd looked at the cafeteria lady, smiled cheekily, and dashed to the factory.

-

An hour later, Yumi and Ulrich sat facing each other again.

Yumi looked at Ulrich.

Ulrich looked at Yumi.

Ulrich opened his mouth, as if to say something, but he just couldn't speak.

Yumi sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Look, you can't blame it on XANA this time. Spit it out."

He squeezed his eyes shut and banged his head on the table.

Yumi's eyes widened and she wondered aloud, "Ulrich, are you alright?"

He looked at her and finally said, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Then talk to me. What did you want to tell me that was so completely urgent that you had to literally _drag_ me away from William?"

At the mention of William's name, Ulrich's eyes were set ablaze and he growled, "It's really important."

"Then?"

He sighed, rubbing his temples with his thumb and forefinger. "It's really hard to say."

Yumi's eyebrows went up in question. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

He looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Good. Well, whenever you're ready…" she replied.

Ulrich began, "See, I really—I mean, I really, _really_… I really…" Sighing angrily, he thrusted his hands into his pockets. "This is annoying. I totally practiced this with Odd, with the mirror, with a picture of you—"

Yumi had to stifle a giggle. "A picture of me? Which picture?"

Ulrich stopped short of his rant and blushed. "Um, the one you gave to me."

"I gave you a picture of myself?"

"Yeah," he replied, pulling out his wallet. He emptied the contents and sifted through the many pictures he had stored in his wallet. "This one," he finished, holding it up for her to see.

Yumi took the picture from him, ignoring the flare of heat she felt as his fingers gently brushed hers. It was a picture of her leaning against the tree, grinning slightly at the camera.

"I don't remember this picture," she whispered, cocking her head to the side.

"Oh, you didn't know that Odd was taking it of you."

Yumi looked up from the picture. "I thought you said I gave this to you."

Ulrich rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I, ah …"

"So you lied to me."

His eyes snapped open and it was all he could do not to start flailing his arms. "No, no, it's not like that—"

Yumi crossed her arms over her chest and rose from her seat. "Ulrich, you know how I feel about lying, even over the smallest thing—"

"Come on Yumi, I didn't mean it like that—"

"Then tell me, what did you mean. What did you mean to say? What did you mean to tell me? Why are you sitting there like an enraged baboon trying to—trying to tell me something? Why am I here, Ulrich?"

Ulrich grabbed her shoulders and desperately looked into her eyes. "This isn't easy for me. Girls always think it's easy for a guy to initiate the relationship, but it's not. It's really hard. We're just as nervous as girls are."

"I never said it was easy to start a relationship—Ulrich, what the hell are you getting at?" She felt as though a belt had been pulled tight across her chest; it was suddenly very hard to breathe.

Had something to do with his close proximity.

"Okay. If a guy liked you, how would you want him to tell you?"

Yumi's breath caught in her throat. "Ulrich?"

"It's completely hypothetical. Let's just say I know a guy that's interested I you. How would you want him to tell you?"

She was stunned to a loss of words. Now _she_ was the one gaping like a goldfish. "I—I don't know what to say, Ulrich. It… It doesn't really matter. Just as long as I know in the end. I don't care how he does it."

Still holding her shoulders, he took a deep breath. "Okay then. Yumi, I think I—"

The bell rang. Ulrich winced and released her.

Yumi looked at him. "Ulrich? You think you…?"

He looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. I have to get to class. If I'm late one more time, they'll suspend me."

She wanted nothing more than to slap him and yell at him, telling him how stupid his was, how much of a coward he was, how riled up he got her, and how he wasn't going to finish his sentence.

She wanted to scream. Because he was so close.

He was so close to saying what he wanted to say. And if it was what she thought it was…

But she held it in and plastered a grin on her face. "Okay Ulrich. Tell me later though. Promise?"

Smiling, he nodded his head. "I promise."

-

Ulrich grumpily slouched in his chair for the rest of science class. He was so close. So _close_. He glanced at Odd, who was sitting next to him, mimicking his angry slouch.

Elbowing him lightly, he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Odd looked up from his angry glare at the white board, and fixing his eyes on Ulrich, he replied, "The lunch lady won't let me have seconds anymore."

Rolling his eyes, Ulrich held his tongue, knowing how important food was to Odd. "Sorry to hear that."

Odd sighed and rested his head in his folded arms. "What's up with yourself?" he queried, opening an eye.

Ulrich rested his head against the head of the chair, slumping in his seat. "I almost told her."

This got Odd going. "You did?! What stopped you man?"

Ulrich huffed, blowing the hair out of his eyes. "The bell. Stupid bell."

Odd let his compassion get the best of him. "Oh, sorry man. But at least you have a head start now." He patted Ulrich's shoulder. "Cheer up. At least you got her hanging on your next words."

"Yeah, I guess."

-

Yumi was waiting outside his classroom when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face the person and smiled. "Oh, hey William."

"Yumi, I need to talk to you."

Biting her lip, she glanced towards the door of Ulrich's classroom and replied, "Can it wait?"

His face went blank. "No. I really need to talk to you."

Sighing, she turned to follow him. "Alright. Make it quick though. I have to see someone after this."

"I promise I'll make it snappy. Look Yumi, I know we haven't known each other for long, but I really feel like we have this connection, and so I feel that—"

"Yumi!"

Her head whipped around and she smiled again. "Ulrich!"

William glared at him, and Ulrich glared right back. "Yumi, let me finish my sentence."

Ulrich stepped closer to her. "No Yumi, let me finish mine."

She was sandwiched between the two boys that were both eager to finish their sentences. Yumi was dying to know what Ulrich had to say, but she also wanted to be polite to William, knowing that Ulrich had already interrupted their conversations more than once.

She looked at Ulrich. She looked at William.

She knew they were going to say the exact same thing.

And instead of playing that weird 'hard to get' game, she made it easier for one of the boys, breaking the other's heart in the process.

"I really like you, William." She looked at him, his relieved smile tearing at her on the inside. "But I love Ulrich."

Ulrich suppressed a victorious smirk, and instead he reached for Yumi's hand.

"I see," came William's cold reply. "I guess we can't all win."

Yumi pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "I'm sorry." She turned to wink at Ulrich.

Squeezing his hand, she smiled at him, and they walked to the courtyard.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" she asked, quirking her lips into a grin.

"Oh, you know, just stuff about love and all that junk…"

"Care to enlighten me?"

"How about I show you?"

And Ulrich leaned down to kiss Yumi.

-

**I like William, but I don't like him _that_ much.**

**It annoys me how things always end happy and peachy in these Yumi/Ulrich/William confrontations.  
One of these days I'm gonna scare you to death and write something WxY just so you don't assume it's UxY.**


End file.
